In real life, hipchickindc is licensed as a real estate broker in the District of Columbia and Virginia, and as a real estate salesperson in Maryland. Unless specifically noted, neither she nor the company that she is affiliated with represented any of the parties or were directly involved in the transaction reported below. Unless otherwise noted, the source of information is Metropolitan Regional Information Systems (MRIS), which is the local multiple listing system. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Featured Property: 3700 13th St NW

Original List Price: $549,999.

List Price at Contract: $498,999.

List Date: 10/01/2008

Days on Market: 313 (this may be a record for a settled GDoN-R)

Settled Sales Price: $475,000.

Settlement Date: 09/30/2009

Seller Subsidy: $11,000.

Bank Owned?: No

Type Of Financing: Conventional with $95,000. (20%) down payment.

Original GDoN Post is: Here.

Recent Listing is: Here.

Perseverance, a good solid price reduction, and dwindling inventory finally resulted in a settled sale for this upper Columbia Heights property. Located just a tad over half a mile from DC USA (referred to in the listing as “USA Mini Mall”), my buyers in this price range would consider this close in. It looks like the Seller invested in several updates since it was purchased during the pre-Target era back in the 1997 for $139,000. Someone noted in the “Good Deal or Not” (GDoN) comments that being an end unit was not an advantage, but I find that people like the extra windows and not having an immediate neighbor on one side.
The original GDoN post ran last November, shortly after the house was first listed. With the combination of insanely low mortgage interest rates and the looming deadline of the Federal First Time Homebuyers Tax Credit, Fall 2009 is finding us in a very different market than the same timeframe in 2008.


In a previous thread one of the commenters mentioned that there isn’t a great diversity of ethnic restaurants in our neighborhoods. I think downtown and in some neighborhoods there is a pretty good variety but it got me thinking – what type of ethnic restaurant do you think your neighborhood is missing? Personally I’m a huge fan of Italian and Greek restaurants and would love to see some a bit closer to home. I’m excited for some more Pho options. But in a perfect world – what type of ethnic restaurant would you like to see closer to home?


By the time you’re reading this Tynan Coffee & Tea will be open at 1400 Irving Street, NW in Columbia Heights. I was able to get a sneak preview of the spot Thursday evening while the finishing touches were being completed. They have recently updated their Web site and you can see their menus here. Currently their hours are Monday – Friday 6:30am – 8pm and Saturday – Sunday 8am – 8pm. Those hours could change based on customer demand. In addition to coffee and tea you’ll also have the option of getting beer and wine. There is free Wifi and the seating capacity is 52 indoors. In the warmer months there will be some outdoor seating as well. While Friday is their soft opening on Saturday they will have their grand opening from 8am – 8pm though from 10am – 2pm there will be a sampling of free 8oz brewed coffee so you can check out the spot.

More photos after the jump. (more…)


Congrats to CHisOK:

“Why pay full price to be unsatisfied with your place in life? Stop by Stan’s for some discount loathing. We’ll mock your financial status, emotional insecurity and any repressed issues from your childhood. All at a discount price!”


I had heard about these “H” planter boxes before but before but only just saw them last weekend. There are spaced very close together around 10th Street, NE on Eastward towards Bladensburg Road. I think individually they look alright but packed together one after the other in different colors they seem kinda silly. Do you think these are a nice addition to H Street, NE?


This is a phenomenal sculpture from Lincoln Park. I had seen the Lincoln sculpture before but don’t ever remember seeing this one. You can find some background on Mary McLeod Bethune here.


Another great transom and outerdoor but one that I wish I could I see the vestibule…


My final Capitol Hill submission – an old school rowhouse. Classic. I particularly dig the touch up top.


From an email:

“So I know there was some definite interest from commenters on your site a while back about an ongoing project to open a craft supply store in the District — specifically in the Mt.P/ Columbia Heights/ Petworth area. The store itself will be a mix of the usual craft supplies and recycled treasures (old maps, keys and buttons — that sort of thing), and additionally we plan to house a teaching space for a wide variety of craft classes, music lessons, etc.

We plan to open a brick-and-mortar space in 2010 (shooting for late spring). Ideally, the shop would be in Mt. Pleasant (perhaps one of the MANY vacant store-fronts?) or Columbia Heights (11th St. area?) or Petworth. The store itself will sell craft supplies and vintage findings (not pre-made crafts), but we would offer various projects during our classes/workshops (i.e. bringing artisans in to teach staining glass or jewelry-making or similar activities). The multi-purpose classroom space would also be available to the community for music lessons, art shows, band practice, etc.

So! In advance of all that, Craft*Monger is holding a craft day on Sunday, Oct. 18 at Proper Topper in Georgetown (3213 P street NW).

At noon (shine only) we’ll have a kids’ workshop in the garden, featuring mask-making, gourd-painting, leaf-stamping, and MORE!

And between 4pm and 6pm (rain or shine), Megan Nicolay, author of Generation T, will lead a T-shirt re-fashioning workshop. Bring an old T, and leave with something new! If it rains, we have tents, and it it’s cold, we’ve got a heater. Bring a t-shirt if you can; scissors, etc. will be provided.

Megan will demonstrate a ton of projects, including making t-shirts into stuffed mobiles, baby bibs, a babydoll dress, a braided mod handbag, a cute wine cozy and a padded laptop sleeve.

You can contact us for more info at [email protected], visit Generation T for a preview, follow us on twitter: @craftmonger, or fan us on facebook (Craft*Monger) to find out about this and future events.”


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